Darren Waller was reportedly upset with Josh McDaniels for revealing wedding plans prior to trade

BOSTON — Perhaps the biggest move in the NFL on Tuesday was not a free-agent signing but rather a trade, as the Raiders sent star tight end Darren Waller to the New York Giants.

The Raiders are receiving only a third-round pick for Waller, who’s under contract for the next four seasons. For a player who was a Pro Bowler in 2020, that’s an awfully low return.

But one tidbit about the deal might help explain why the Raiders were willing to execute the trade.

According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Waller had gotten upset with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels for accidentally telling the media that Waller was getting married.

“Waller was upset with McDaniels when the Las Vegas Review-Journal posted a story announcing the wedding was scheduled later in the week,” Tafur tweeted, regarding McDaniels’ comments at the Scouting Combine. “The couple had not publicly announced their plans to get married.”

Waller married WNBA star Kelsey Plum, who plays for the Las Vegas Aces. Now, instead of being sports stars together in Sin City, they’ll be separated by about 2,500 miles after Waller was traded away.

Tafur didn’t specify that the spat between Waller and McDaniels was the primary reason for the trade, but he noted that the timing was “interesting.”

Interesting, indeed.